Every schedule is a trade-off between fewer handovers and shorter gaps away from each parent. Ages change which side of that trade matters.
Simplest to run, longest stretch away from each parent. Tends to suit older children who manage a week comfortably.
Two fixed weeknights each, alternating weekends. Predictable weekday anchors, no long gaps. A common fit for primary-school years.
The 2-2-5-5 schedule in detail →
Shorter gaps still, but the weekdays rotate — harder to organise around activities. Often used for younger children.
The 2-2-3 schedule in detail →
Three nights then four, swapping the next week. Six of the seven weekdays stay with the same home and one day swings, so it is nearly as predictable as 2-2-5-5 with a shorter longest gap.
The 3-4-4-3 schedule in detail →
The least shared time; often a starting point that grows, or a fit for distance and work patterns.
Handover smoothness, school-week stability, and whether both homes can actually do the mornings they are signed up for. A schedule that looks fair on paper and fails every Tuesday 7am is not fair.
The schedule lives in one calendar both parents see, with overrides for holidays and special dates — so the pattern flexes without a renegotiation each time.
There is no perfect schedule, and this is a guide rather than a rule. What works depends on the children’s ages, the distance between the two homes and how each parent works, and it changes as they grow. General information, not legal advice.